Maleficent is back. After the premiere of the 2014 film starring Angelina Jolie in which the infamous Disney character becomes the protagonist of her own, distinct story, comes the sequel 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil', the continuation of the journey of Princess Aurora and Maleficent herself, who together must face the challenges within their own relationship and beyond.
We were lucky enough to speak to Elle Fanning, the actress who brought Sleeping Beauty to life in the first instalment and who takes up the tiara again in what is the first sequel of her career. The actress discusses the particular brand of power that the princess discovers inside herself, the modernisation of princess stories, how classic Disney is changing, and her experience filming alongside two of the greatest actresses in cinema.
The sequel reintroduces us to the characters five years after the first instalment, showing us how Princess Aurora has grown up and now plans to marry Prince Philip, something that Jolie's character strongly disapproves of. Through this more mature version of Princess Aurora, audiences will be able to see, according to Elle Fanning, a unique form of female strength: "I wanted to show that she is true to herself and has strength in her softness and vulnerability", says Fanning, who stresses that "there's nothing wrong with her wanting to be a mother, and be married, and have kids. That's her dream".
A star-studded cast
This latest instalment in Maleficent's story introduces us to Michelle Pfeiffer as the film's villain, who will compete with Jolie's titular character for the favour of the young princess. Fanning states that her participation in the first film was hugely exciting for her, as much due to the character she played as the opportunity to act alongside Angelina Jolie: "To be able to say that I was Sleeping Beauty blew my mind". Fanning confirms that she felt very much included by Jolie and Pfeiffer during the filming process. "They're both very nurturing and very protective". Joining the three actresses in the film's cast are Chiwetel Ejiofor and Harris Dickinson. 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil', directed by Joachim Rønning, will arrive in cinemas on the 18th October 2019.
